Support for an automatic connecter



Feb. 7, 1933. J. M. B RILL SUPPORT FOR AN AUTOMATIC CONNECTER Filed Feb. 27 1929 PRC-31" Z nNrrEn STATES PATENT OFFICE-* Patented Feb. 7, 1933 iosnrn M. BRILL, or onavnrann, onto,

ASSIGNOR, BY 'lvinsnn ASSIGNMENTSLTOJ CONSOLIDATED CONNECTOR. PATENT CORPORATION, 01* "WILMINGTON, DELAWARE SUPPORT FOR AN AUTOMATIC CONNECTER Application filed February 27, 1929. Serial No. 343,033.

tive of the position of the head. A further This; invention relates to automatic train pipe connecters and particularly to' a connecter wherein the head is yieldingly supportedby a bracket which depends from a car coupler. It has been the practice to support the head in proper position for coupling by means of a rigid member which extends diagonally between the head and bracket, and which is pivotally connected at one end to the head and is slidably mounted at the other end in'the bracket. The bracket end is threaded and is provided with adjusting nuts for enabling the head to be adjusted to the proper position. I

Usually, the rigid member which holds the head in coupling position comprises a rod which passes through an aperture in the bracket. During the normal coupling operation, there is a slight upward movement of the heads with relation to the bracket, and during such movement the rod is free to slide through the aperture. If for any reason, there should be a downward orlateral movement of the connecter heads during the coupling operation, then the rod tends to bind against the Walls of the aperture, and if the strain is sumciently great, the rod will bend and will thereafter fail to maintain the head in proper coupling position. Such downward or lateral movement of the head is particularly apt to occur if forany reason the connecters should fail to couple. Such movements are also apt to occur ifthe connecter should strike a butting block at the end of a track with considerable force. The tendency of the rod to bind in the aperture is due to the fact that the head moves about one point as a center while the rod passes through the bracket at a different point, and that the rod is threaded on the portion which extends through the bracket. Such threads tend to bind against the bracket unless the head is disposed in the normal central position.

The principal object of the presentinvention is to provide means for holding the threaded portion of the rod out of contact with the bracket, while the head is being supported in coupled position. In this way,

the rod is free to move backwardly irrespecobject is to provide head supporting means which can be readily incorporated in existing connecters in a simple and expeditious manner.

, Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of an automatic trainpipe connecter embodying my invention; Fig. .Zis an enlarged horizontal section through the supporting bracket, showing the position of the rod when the head is uncoupled; Fig. .3 is a vertical section. taken through the connection between the rod and bracket taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, Fig. 4: is a diagrammatic view showing the efl'ect of a downward movement of the head with reference to the bracket and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a part of thehead adjacent the connection between the head and supporting rod;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the supporting bracket, showing a plan view of the. pivot block and seat; and Fig. 7 is a section taken on lines 77 in Fig. 6.

In the drawing there is shown a car coupler 10 from which depends a supporting bracket 11. The bracket is secured to the underside of the coupler, by any suitable means, such as bolts 12, and. is arrangedto extend downwardly and rearwardly. The lower end of the bracket is shown as having spaced arms 30, formed with aligned slots 31, which open 'at the front side of said'arms. A pivot block 32 hastr'unnions 33 fitted in said slot, so that'the block is supported for rocking movement about a horizontal axis. The ends of the trunnions 33 are provided with flanges 34, which bear against the outside surfaces of'the arms 30, thereby prevent ing movement of the block transversely of the arms. The block is also formed with an aperture 35, which is'adapted to receive the shank of the connecter head 13. The

front face of the pivot block above and below the aperture 35 is formed with substantially cylindrical bearing surfaces 37. A spring seat 38 is arranged in front of the pivot block and is formed with an aperture 39 for receiving the'shank 15. A spring 14 is interposed between the seat 38 and the head 13, and acts to force the head away from'the supportin'g bracket. The rearward face of the seat is provided with two lugs 40, which have substantially semi-cylindrical surfaces adapted to be seated in the bearing surfaces 37 of the pivot block. It will be observed that the engagement of the lugs 40, with the pivot block, provides a pivotal connection between these parts which permits rocking movement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the pivot block. A positioning of the shank when moved with relation to the block is shown by the broken lines 41 in Fig. 6. A member 16 extends between the head and the bracket above the shank and functions to support the head in proper position for coupling purposes. 2

The member 16 is shown as a rod, the forward end of which is pivotally connected at 17 to the head, and the rearward end of which passes through an aperture 18 in a transverse wall 19 of the supporting bracket. The rod has considerable clearance in the aperture, as is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and is slidably mounted therein. The rearward end of the rod is threaded, as at 20, and is provided with an adjusting nut 21, and a lock nut 22, for enabling proper adj ustment of the head to be made with relation to the car coupler.

To center the rod in the bracket aperture, I have shown the wall 19 of the bracket as having a convex portion 25 around the aperture, and I have shown the nut 21, as having a concave surface 26 which coacts with the convex part of the bracket. These coacting surfaces center the rod automatically in the aperture, as the head is moving forwardly during the uncoupling operation. I have found that the convex and concave portions may be either frusto-conical in shape or hemispherical in shape. The concave face of the coacting nut 21 is preferably flatter than the coacting convex part of the bracket, as is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. By making the nut sufficiently wide to bring the uppermost edge thereof above the top wall of the aperture when the rod is resting on the bottom of the aperture, the rod is always cantered during the forward movement of the J head.

While I have shown and explained the concave portion of the nut, as being different from the convex part of the cooperating bracket, it is evident that thecentering of the supporting rod can be effected if the convex and concave portions are complementary to each other. An advantage, which I have found however, in making such portions slightly different in shape is that the rod will be maintained out of contact with the wall more readily if the head is moved downwardly while under the action of the spring 14. This is best illustrated by the diagram in Fig. 4, which shows the normal position of the nut in full lines. Thebroken lines 21a indicate the position of the nut when the head is moved downwardly. It is apparent that such downward action will cause a pivotal action between the nut and bracket adj acent the top of the wall, and that such contact will lift the rod away from the bottom of the aperture," and thus prevent a binding action if the head should be moved rearwardly while in such downward position. The same result is obvious if the head should be moved laterally and rearwardly while under the action of spring 14.

Upon coupling, there will be a slight movement of the head rearwardly toward the bracket before the rod will be free to drop into engagement with the bracket wall. The extent of such movement depends upon the overlapping area between the bracket wall and the adjusting nut. Such area is sufficient in amount to protect the threads on the rod immediately forward of the adjusting nut, thus allowing suflicient adjustment to be made at a subsequent period to satisfy all practical requirements.

A further advantage of my invention is the fact that the rod cannot bind against the bracket, if for any reason the connecter head fails to couple, and if for any reason the connecter head is moved either downwardly or laterally in a sudden manner. My invention thus increases the flexibility of the connecter and accomplishes this result in a simple and satisfactory way.

I claim:

In an automatic train pipe connecter having a connecter head which is mounted for universal movement with reference to a supporting bracket, means for supporting said head in normal position for coupling, and comprising a rod pivoted to the head and passing through an opening in the supporting bracket, said opening being substantially larger than said rod and being surrounded by a rearwardly extending boss, and means to secure said rod in said bracket comprising a nut having a concave surface which is dissimilar from that of the boss and which is adapted to engage the edge of the boss in substantial line contact.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOSEPH M. BRILL. 

